


Bar Snacks

by play_doh



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: (like in the game), (ominous music), (predictably), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Lucio Is An Asshole, M/M, Other, asra is nonbinary and uses he/him pronouns, it's not really heavy on the vampirism, one is a vampire... the other is a vampire hunter...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-26 18:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19774177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/play_doh/pseuds/play_doh
Summary: Asra takes a job which leads him to meet a mysterious redheaded stranger in a bar. Julian embarks on his monthly outing and meets a mesmerizing traveller with the most beautiful lavender eyes he's ever seen. Here's the problem: one's a hunter, and the other's being hunted.





	Bar Snacks

Asra's seen many people attempt to approach him in a bar in his time, but the entourage approaching his perch at the corner of the bar is the most suspicious he’s ever laid eyes on. He sighs and downs the rest of the whisky in his cup before scanning the small crowd until he finds the man who seems to be in charge. He gives him a coy smile from behind his glass and winks. The man flushes slightly and furrows his brows in annoyance.

The posse pauses for a moment before breaking apart to spread out and block any means of escape while the man slowly approaches the young patron. He slides easily into the seat next to his and waves for the bartender to bring over some kind of beverage.

"Mr. Alnazar," the man begins in some unfamiliar accent. "Do you mind if I take this seat?"

"Drop the Mr.-- just Asra, please. And I don’t think it matters much what I think when there are enough of your men in this bar to carry you in a palanquin." he snorts. “What is this, a muscle show?”

"It can be many things, depending on whether or not you’ll cooperate with me," The man smirks, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it into his mouth. Rather than lighting it, he pulls out a dark blue plastic binder and places it on top of the counter in front of Asra. "Mr. Alnazar, my name is Lucio. I'm in need of someone with your... particular skill set."

Asra rolls his eyes, annoyed that Lucio hasn’t corrected himself. He was used to shady and overly assertive methods his clients used to get his attention long enough to hire him, but to put such brute force on display as a way of simply asserting dominance just annoyed him. The people who made obvious shows of strength always turned out to be the worst customers.

“Fine, what do you want?” he answers eventually, quelling his annoyance briefly. While he doesn’t much like the thought of working with someone like Lucio, he could use the money. The blonde motions for him to flip open the binder. He does so and discovers a short stack of photos. In each one, men lay in pools of their own blood, looking shriveled and pale as if the precious liquid had been sucked right out of them. Asra presses his lips together and raises his eyebrows.

“I don’t know if you’ve come across my name before, but I happen to be quite a big figure in real estate,” Lucio begins.

“I have no interest in that sort of thing,” Asra says with a shrug.

“That’s to be expected. Not too many people are these days, but I make the best of it. Unfortunately, I’ve been running into quite a problem lately,”

“Exactly what kind of problem do you think this is?” the hunter asks, letting a blank expression fall onto his face.

“Well, that’s where you come in; though I’ve suspected it’s something of a bat problem.”

“If you think you’ve got a pest problem, then I’m afraid there really isn’t anything I can do for you, Lucio. Call animal control.”

“Come on, Asra. Don’t be stingy. You and I both know these aren’t just animals I’m dealing with. There are goddamn vampires in my town, and I want them out. They’re driving my sales down, which I just can’t have! Surely you understand,”

Asra takes a moment to quell his irritation. He thinks for a moment, tapping his bottom lip before replying.

“Photos like those are unusual, you know. Vampires don’t like to waste blood when feeding, so any attacks like those must have been by one who was provoked-- which, mind you, is a difficult feat to accomplish. Vampires are known for being stone cold, not fiery-tempered.”

Lucio slams his fist down on top of one of the photos. “Animals don’t need a reason to kill lesser beings aside from satisfaction and the thrill of the hunt.”

Asra considers the man’s anger and wonders if the blonde man himself has a similar philosophy. Either way, he figures Lucio probably isn't going to leave him alone until he agrees to take the job. “Fine,” he concedes, sighing. “I'll go and take a look around for you, but I’m not doing this for free. Pay well or I’m out.”

Lucio laughs humorlessly. “That I can do.”

***

As soon as he wakes up, Julian peeks out through the thick, velvet curtain to make sure the last few rays of sun have set. When he sees nothing but the big, milky moon, he throws the curtains open fully and squints at the pale light spilling onto the town below. Though he has lived in the town for a good portion of his ling life, Julian has never really felt like a part of it. Of course, he has his curse to blame, but he livsd in the beautiful, old house on the hill under the disguise of an old man with an illness that keeps him mostly bedridden. Sometimes he’ll go out and have a drink at one of the bars, and the townspeople would assume he is from some faraway land (which isn’t really too far off) and ask him to share stories of the beautiful, exotic women he must have met along his journey. Julian laughs at these requests and sometimes tells paraphrased versions of the romance novels he keeps in his expansive library, but at the end of the night he can’t help but to feel jealous of the men who sway home to a wife and children while he has to crawl back to his lonely abode. Despite the fact that he always feels worse after his outings, Julian continues his ritual of getting hammered in town, collapsing in his dusty foyer, and crying himself to sleep because it's really the only thing he has left to remind him that he isn’t the last living creature on earth.

When the ancient grandfather clock strikes nine, Julian opens the front door and steps out into the crisp night air.

“Tonight, I am going to drink ‘till I drop, and even after that, I’ll still drink more,” he comments to the weeping willow to the right of the steps. The plant does not answer, as usual, but a slight wind shifts its branches in a way that makes it sound like a disapproving sigh. Julian ignores the tree and begins the walk into town.

When he arrives at the cobblestone streets of the village, the vampire sweeps his gaze left and right a couple times before choosing to continue walking down the path to the left. He passes a few bars that are too full for his liking and finally settles on one called _The Rowdy Raven_ . It has a nice lighting that’s bright enough to be friendly, but dim enough to allow the slightly racy activities of a couple he senses in the corner. It smells of warmth, and somehow the usual stench of alcohol is not too strong. As the vampire wanders up to the bar, a man wearing a black waistcoat over a white button down smiles at him.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” he asks. “What can I get you?”

“Something like that.” Julian says. He wonders if it's the way he looks that gives his identity away, or if it's just that everyone knows each other so well that they can instantly spot intruders in their tight society. “I’ll take the strongest drink you’ve got,” he requests, and the bartender laughs.

“I’ve got a new concoction called the salty bitters that’ll blister your insides,” he offers, and starts towards the door to the back room.

“Perfect, I’ll have five,” the vampire laughs, running a hand through his wavy red hair. The man smiles, shakes his head, and mutters something about writing a will because he’ll surely die if he drinks more than one. He can’t tell the man that his super vampire metabolism (or lack thereof) didn’t exactly make it easy to fall under alcohol’s sleepy curse, so he just chooses a seat and smiles to himself as he waits. He taps his fingers on the counter, playing a soundless melody. He observes the couples in the corners of the building, and the rowdy but not too noisy group of young men playing drinking games at a round table. The bar hasn’t had anyone leave or enter since his arrival, so when a newcomer enters the building, Julian can immediately tell. The person drags himself over to the bar and practically falls into the seat a stool over from his own. He sighs and rubs his face tiredly before blinking and looking for the bartender. He doesn't really look like he's in the mood for conversation, so Julian tries to keep to himself and hunches over to lean on the counter.

The person huffs after a minute, irked, and taps the counter in the exact same way that the vampire had been a couple minutes before. Despite recognizing the silent tune, Julian decides that the gesture annoys him since he wasn’t the one making it.

“He’s getting a drink from the back,” Julian drawls in a way he hopes sounds like a normal bar-attending human. “I’m sure he’ll return shortly.”

“Sorry, _pal_ , I didn’t realize that expecting to find a bartender in the bar was such a crime,” the white-haired newcomer retorts, turning to look Julian up and down. He cocks his head and smiles faintly, the ice in his eyes melting to reveal the delicate purples swirling around in his irises.

“I-- well, I mean, sorry?” Julian answers lamely, kicking himself internally. He reminds himself to work on his outstanding social skills. To his surprise, the white-haired wonder laughs and bites his lip.

“My name’s Asra Alnazar.” he said, offering him a hand. Julian panics and tries to discreetly wipe his clammy palm before reaching out to shake his hand.

“You’ve got a wonderful name. I think it suits your beauty well.” he says, giving Asra a small smile before realizing he's just vocalized his internal monologue. “Oh my god, I meant, I’m Julian. Devorak.” Asra smiles radiantly and accepts the compliment, much to Julian’s relief.

“Nice to meet you.” he says warmly, and the vampire wonders how he can feel a thumping in his chest even though his heart no longer beats.

“Hey, would you mind if I, uh, bought you a drink?” the redhead asks suddenly. He figures that since this is his first real conversation with anyone in months, he should try his damndest to make something out of it.

“I would love that, if the damn bartender ever decides to come back and grace us with his presence,” Asra smirks. As if on cue, the door behind the bar opens. The man appears and places a full glass of molten amber directly in front of Julian.

“Here’s your poison,” he said, eyeing the newcomer. “Will that be all?”

“A couple of glasses would be nice,” the vampire answers, reaching forward to sample the salty bitters. The bartender raises an eyebrow and glances at Asra, who nods. The man turns to grab another cup and places it in front of him.

“You folks be careful,now. That's a hell of a gut-cleaner if I'e ever seen one.”

Julian nods and can’t help but to laugh. He can't remember the last time he got to share a drink with someone other than his houseplants.

“What shall we drink to?” Asra asks. Julian glances over and notices that the light dusting of freckles across his cheekbones which look like constellations.

“I dunno,” he frowns. ”Fate, maybe?” Julian picks up his drink and holds it out for Asra to clink. The other picks up his glass with a twinkle in his violet eyes.

“Sure, why not. It sometimes brings me surprises I'd rather avoid, but this... tonight, I mean, isn't one of them,” he says, touching his glass to the vampire's before hiding a smile behind the glass as he takes a sip. His eyes immediately squeeze shut and he takes another gulp before shivering and laughing breathlessly. “This is… certainly something.”

Julian pauses to register the other's statement. He stares at the tanned, oh-so-markable skin of Asra’s throat as he throws his head back to finish the liquid in the cup. Though he isn’t standing, Julian is able to guess that he's a head taller than Asra, give or take a few inches. His fluffy, alabaster hair looks softer than any cashmere blanket he owns, and he longs to run his cold hands through it and bring him a little closer…

“...an. Julian. Is there something on my face?”

The vampire shakes his head and realizes that he's been staring at the dangerously gorgeous person sitting in front of him. He knows it has been many, _many_ years since he has engaged in certain... _activities_ , but who was he to ignore such beauty sitting right in front of him?

Decision made, he grins and brings the salty bitters up to his mouth before draining the glass and saluting Asra with it.

“Cheers”

***

“This is probably a really bad idea,” Julian mutters as he kicks the door to Asra’s hotel room shut behind him.

“Oh... yeah? Why’s that?” Asra asks. His back hits the door as the taller of the two pushes him up against it. Julian half ignores the question as he moves his hands under Asra’s magenta shawl, moving to pull and unravel his layered outfit.

“You… are you telling me you’ve never been picked up… in a bar before?” Julian’s mocking laugh is interrupted when Asra grabs his sleeves and wheels him around so that he’s pressed against the wall.

“Okay, I’m pretty sure _I_ was the one who picked _you_ up,” he breathes softly into the redhead’s ear. 

Julian's breath wavers, and he leans his head to the side to allow Asra more room to do as he pleases. The hunter takes this as an invitation to softly kiss a spot on his neck, and when he hears a quiet gasp he presses himself closer and begins to suck lightly. 

“Jesus, Asra, can you…”

With a smirk, he bites down on Julian’s pale skin and presses his teeth in just enough to ensure that there will be a mark to look at later. The redhead tries to conceal a low moan with a sigh, but Asra’s sharp ears pick the noise up easily. He moves his hands up from Julian's waist to tangle in his soft, red locks, tugging at the roots. 

“Come on,” he groans, and Asra gives him a sharp look.

“Be patient, or I’ll stop.” he pauses and pulls Julian’s face closer. He does not, however, connect their lips. Their faces are so close that the vampire can smell a faint fragrance of flowers on him. Was it wolfsbane? No, belladonna.

Julian whines and presses forward, touching their foreheads together. Asra’s hands clench in his hair, daring him to continue.The vampire moves in, pressing their lips together softly and slowly at first, and then suddenly Asra presses in deeper and harder, and finally, as if a dam burst, he was tasting his lips and his face and his tongue and his essence and _him_ ; both Julian and Asra were so entranced by the act that neither could break apart, even to breathe.

Julian closes his eyes and groans, voice rumbling from his chest and pouring out like a purr as Asra’s tongue slips inside his mouth-- probing at first, then gentle, then demanding; although he's definitely been kissed before, this is nothing like he has ever experienced. He realizes at once why kissing is described as melting, because he can feel his body becoming like putty in the Asra’s arms. The white-haired wanderer clasps his hands under Julian and picks him up, carefully yet quickly walking over to the hotel bed on the other side of the room. As they move, Julian deposits his shirt and shoes on the floor. Asra deposits the taller man onto the bed and pulls off his own shirt in the seconds he has before the two connect again. When he breaks the kiss to let Julian breathe, he rests his roaming hands on his long torso and takes in the redhead’s flushed face and heavy-lidded eyes.

“Did you have anything in mind for tonight?” he asks carefully. Asra knows exactly what he wants, but he's interested to see what the other will say.

Julian whines deliciously, clearly frustrated at the lack of action happening between them at the moment. “God. Fuck. I’m not picky. You do whatever you fuckin’ want,” he says through gritted teeth.

“You, my friend,” Asra says, licking his lips. “Like to live dangerously.”

Julian sees a playful smirk in his eyes, and shivers in anticipation.

***

Julian half expects to wake up alone and in his miserably familiar bedroom, but he is pleasantly surprised to find the lilac-eyed wanderer in his arms providing a comforting amount of body heat. He observes Asra’s sleeping form, taking mental notes on how his long eyelashes flutter like soft butterflies against his skin when he breathes. He considers waking him to say goodbye, but knows that if he does it will take longer than he has. If he doesn't leave soon, he’ll be at risk from sun damage or being spotted by vampire hunters. Julian quietly slips out of the bed and glances out the window at the brightening sky. He calculates that he’ll have just enough time to dash home before the sun comes up.

Still, Julian feels apprehensive about leaving without explaining to Asra why he had to go. He searches for the pad of paper and the pen that hotels usually provide and eventually finds it. He begins to write a message when he spots a peculiar card sitting out on top of a blue plastic binder on the bureau. As he reads it, Julian freezes. He feels as if his lungs are filling with ice cold water.

_Asra Alnazar_  
_Supernatural Creature Control - Vampire Division_

Of course, _just_ when he finally learns what it feels like to not be alone, the world has to go and burn him twice as badly. He figures that if there is a god, he likes to remind his creations to know their places, and Julian’s is to stay in the old, crumbling house at the top of the hill and long to be human again.

**Author's Note:**

> to anyone who reads this:
> 
> first of all, thank you!!!
> 
> secondly, if you want another chapter, let me know! I feel like this is left open enough for more fun stuff ;)


End file.
